By Armen Toumajan
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 10

Delegates: 91

Chairman: Sharon Sayles Belton

Hotel: Wyndham at Los Angeles Airport (310) 670-9000

1996 Election:
Clinton – 51%
Dole – 35%
Perot – 12%

Minnesota's Democratic contingent at this year's convention in Los Angeles is arguably the most diverse group of delegates from any state.

Minnesota's National Delegate Selection Plan included a statement that read: "In the election of the at-large delegation, priority of consideration shall be given to African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans and women . . . priority of consideration shall be given to other groups by virtue of race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or disability."

This conforms with the affirmative action statement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party - as the Democratic Party is known in Minnesota - that seeks "to increase the participation of members of those communities that have been traditionally shut out of and/or underrepresented in the political process."

As a result, this year's delegation boasts a 23 percent minority representation rate in a state that, according to state DFL Chairman Mike Erlandson, has only an 8 percent minority population.

Erlandson added that this year's Minnesota contingent includes "a very large group of first-time delegates" and a sizable youth presence.

Edith Ann Washington, who is African-American and a lesbian, said, "We have white, we have black, we have Native American, we have gay, we have lesbian."

"I think it's a tradition [that] started with Hubert [H.] Humphrey," said DFL state affirmative action officer Matthea Little Smith in a reference to the late senator and vice president, who remains a liberal icon. Smith is a member of the state gay and lesbian caucus known as the Stonewall DFL, which has a strong presence in state party politics and in the national convention delegation.

Jane Fee, a Minnesota delegate, is the state's first known transgender person to attend a major-party convention as a delegate. The retired 73-year-old great-grandparent and Army veteran has been a Democrat for more than 50 years.

Minnesota's 1993 Human Rights Amendment calls for transgender rights. "It was as a result of our 20 years of efforts . . . in the state of Minnesota," said Fee.

On national issues, Minnesota will have a voice in shaping the party's campaign agenda statement. Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, who is chairing the state's convention delegation, also is co-chairman of the Democratic National Convention's platform committee.

Minnesota delegates interviewed by Congressional Quarterly said they were satisfied with the direction of the economy over the eight years of President Clinton's tenure and are putting their faith behind Vice President Al Gore's presidential bid. "The delegation strongly favors continuing the legacy that Clinton and Gore have left for us," said Erlandson.

Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale also is joining his fellow Minnesotans as a "Distinguished Party Leader" delegate. The most recent Democratic convention in California, the 1984 event in San Francisco, nominated Mondale for president, though he would lose in the re-election landslide for President Ronald Reagan.

Mondale previously served as a U.S. senator from 1964 to 1976, the year he was elected vice president on the Democratic ticket headed by Jimmy Carter. The Carter-Mondale team was defeated for re-election in 1980 by the Republican ticket of Reagan and George Bush.

Mondale in the mid 1990s was U.S. ambassador to Japan for three years and is currently a partner with a law firm in Minnesota.

Minnesota's pro-Democratic track record in recent presidential elections makes it a must-win state for Gore. Since 1960, the Democrats have taken Minnesota's electoral votes in every election year except 1972; in 1984, it was the only state that stood by Mondale.

MINNESOTA NOTABLES: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, also a former U.S. senator from Minnesota, the 1984 Democratic nominee for president and former U.S. ambassador to Japan; U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone; Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, chairman of the state delegation and co-chairman of the convention's platform committee; Reps. Bill Luther, David Minge, James L. Oberstar, Collin C. Peterson and Martin Olav Sabo; Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Mike Erlandson.